As autumn approaches, the birthday of the King of Loulan is also approaching. Although Loulan is a small country, it is the only way from the Western Regions to the countries of India and Dashi. Due to its important location, royal nobles from all countries in the Western Regions will come to attend this event. Even the two powerful countries of Xiongnu and Han Dynasty have sent letters to express that they will send envoys to present generous gifts. Although the king has not expressed his position on the establishment of the crown prince, the ministers in the palace have long been divided into two factions. In addition, the queen and Princess Dana have also reached a position of equal strength in the palace. Therefore, for the two princes, this is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to improve their status in their father's heart. Sometimes, a detail, a turn of events is the key to turning the tide. Therefore, the birthday gifts prepared by the princes this time have exceeded their meaning as gifts themselves. However, both sides were careful to keep their mouths shut, and no one let out a single word.
Taking advantage of the clear and cool autumn weather, Na Luo and Usma stayed in the room and kneaded the dried reed leaves. These reed leaves become very soft after being kneaded and rubbed, and are specially used for the nobles in the palace to relieve themselves. This job is not an easy one. After rubbing for a long time, many blisters will appear on the palms and fingers. If it weren't for Usma's help, she was afraid that she would not be able to show her hands after rubbing all the reed leaves by herself.
Because of the previous experience of Quchi, and the fact that the other party was a Hun, she was skeptical at first when Usma treated her sincerely. But after these years of getting along day and night, Na Luo has completely let down his guard against her.
Trust between people is the most precious, so she wants to believe it again.
"Na Luo, have you heard? This time, the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu will send envoys to present gifts for His Majesty's birthday." Wusma couldn't help but sighed, "It would be great if our Xiongnu Prince Hulugu came in person to present gifts. He is the most outstanding and handsome man in our Xiongnu. It is said that when he was six years old, he dared to fight a wolf alone. He is a well-deserved hero. If you saw him, your eyes would fall out."
"Is it that exaggerated? I don't think there is any man who can compare to the eldest prince." She said she couldn't believe it at all. Not to mention the eldest prince, even that annoying An Gui is probably several streets ahead of that Prince Gulu Gulu.
Usma narrowed his eyes and looked at her, smiling a little ambiguously, "That's right. Of course, no one can compare to the eldest prince in your heart. Naro, you like the eldest prince very much, right?"
Naro was stunned by her question and said frankly, "He treats me well, so of course I like him."
"Then... how do you like him?" Usma came over, obviously very interested in this topic.
Na Luo thought for a moment and said, "Every time I see him, I feel very happy. I think the sky is especially blue, the clouds are especially white, and even the birds sing especially beautifully. Every time I feel that time passes too quickly, and I really want to stay with him for a while longer."
Usma moved closer, looking at her with sparkling eyes, "Then he likes you too, right?"
She nodded without hesitation, "Master - of course the eldest prince likes me."
Usma knew that she didn't understand what she meant, and lowered her voice mysteriously, "I mean... the love between men and women." Seeing Na Luo's confused face, she continued to remind him, "If it is the love between men and women, then the way he looks at you must be very special, that is, the kind of gentle and sparkling!"
Na Luo looked at her half-doubtfully, "Gentle and sparkling? Isn't that a monster? I have never noticed it. Usma, how do you know so much? Have you seen it with your own eyes?"
Usma rolled his eyes helplessly. "The people around me are either princes or eunuchs. How can I have this opportunity? I also heard it from others."
Na Luo burst out laughing, "It turns out that you have heard it all by hearsay."
Usma snorted, "Anyway, no matter who it is, no one can compare to Prince Hulugu. Don't disbelieve me, Na Luo. If you see him in person one day, you will definitely agree with what I said."
"Okay, okay, your Prince Gulu Gulu is the most handsome and outstanding." Na Luo blinked mischievously.
"What Prince Gulu Gulu..." She suddenly reacted, and picked up the reed leaf and knocked her forehead with amusement and anger, "You are so brave, little girl, you dare to give the prince a nickname!"
Na Luo quickly dodged back, and the end of the reed leaf just swept across her lips. When she thought of the use of this reed leaf, she couldn't help but feel sick suddenly, and hurriedly shouted, "Usma, you use this as a weapon but it will cost someone's life!"
Usma just took the reed leaf and waved it in front of her, laughing heartlessly.
Na Luo rolled his eyes and picked up a reed leaf to scratch the other's neck. Usma was not willing to show weakness and immediately fought back. The two of them laughed and played.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Na Luo, are you there?"
"It's Manya!" Na Luo got up from the ground and opened the door with a smile on his face. Manya was stunned when she saw the room full of reed leaves, and a rather strange look appeared on her face. Usma was quite tactful. She greeted Manya and found an excuse to temporarily leave the room, leaving this space for the two of them.
"Man Ya, why did you want to come and see me today?" Na Luo shook his hand and said with a smile, "It's a pity that I'm making something that's not presentable, so I won't come to greet you. If you want to drink water, just pour it yourself."
Man Ya didn't smile, and her eyes fell on her red, swollen and peeling hands with complicated meanings, and whispered, "If the prince sees you doing this, he will definitely feel very distressed."
"Then don't let him know." Na Luo smiled even more brightly, "Man Ya, haven't you always helped me hide it? Then just tell the prince that I'm doing well here as usual."
"Na Luo... You have suffered a lot of grievances over the years." Man Ya seemed to be speaking from her heart. When she came to the princess, she happened to see Na Luo being bullied several times. At first, she was so angry that she wanted to tell the prince, but was stopped by Na Luo. In order not to worry the prince, Man Ya had to agree to conceal some of the things she saw.
"These grievances are nothing." Na Luo blinked disapprovingly, "By the way, did the eldest prince come to me today for something?"
Manya nodded, took two steps forward and whispered in her ear, "The eldest prince wants to see you. Let you go to the old place to wait for him in the afternoon." Recently, for some reason, the princess has set a new rule. Without her permission, the palace people are not allowed to leave here at night. So Na Luo can only change the time to see the eldest prince from night to day.
Na Luo was happy in her heart, but soon shook her head vigorously, "No, I still won't go to see him today." Her eyes fell on her hands, and her expression suddenly dimmed, "Otherwise, seeing this, he will worry about me again."
Manya showed a sympathetic look, "I know, anyway, this is not the first time. I will tell the eldest prince that the princess has kept you by her side for the past few days, and you are too busy to leave."
Na Luo's smile was a little melancholy, "I have to trouble you again, Manya."
If it were normal, Manya would leave after explaining the matter, but today she seemed a little hesitant, as if there were some things she hadn't said.
"What's wrong, Manya?" Na Luo also saw that the other party was a little strange.
Manya hesitated for a moment, and said in a voice that only she could hear, "Lord Quehu Hou has a few more words for me to bring to you. He said-now is the time. You should understand what this sentence means. He hopes you can try to find out what gift the second prince will give this time." She paused, "If necessary, destroy it."
Na Luo's heart was shocked, and the conversation with Quehu Hou a long time ago immediately echoed in his ears. In the past few years, she had no chance to see Marquis Quehu in the palace. Even if they met by chance a few times, he just maintained the courtesy of a nobleman and did not have too much contact and communication with her.
"Na Luo, did you hear that?" Manya could not help but remind her again, "The master said that this gift is very important, you must pay attention to it. The master is not convenient to contact you directly, just tell me if you find anything."
"Manya... So you..." Na Luo was a little surprised. Only then did she know that Manya was directly under the command of Marquis Quehu.
Although this matter was dangerous, since it was ordered by Marquis Quehu and it was for the eldest prince, she would naturally go through fire and water without hesitation.
"Don't worry, Manya. Please tell the master that I will never let him down."
At night, a shower fell from the sky. The air after the rain was particularly fresh. If you close your eyes, you can even hear the moving sound of the flower buds blooming. The slightly chilly autumn wind blew slowly into the room, mixed with the unique fresh smell of the flowers, plants and trees in the courtyard after being wetted by rain.
When Na Luo was about to go back to her room to rest, she suddenly saw the female official Chu Yue stepped into the courtyard with a nervous look and broke a shocking news to the several palace maids gathered there.
"It's terrible! It's terrible! I just saw your majesty, the queen and five or six witch doctors rushing to the eldest prince's bedroom! I heard that the eldest prince seemed to be sick!"
"Really? The eldest prince - nothing will happen, right?"
"Even your majesty and the queen went there in person, it should be very serious, right?"
The palace maids expressed their surprise and concern about the news. Na Luo only felt a buzzing in her ears, and her thoughts were gone. Her chest seemed to be blocked by something, and she was almost unable to breathe. The next second, she wanted to impulsively throw away the things in her hands and run to the eldest prince as fast as possible to see what happened to him!
But... the palace gates of the princess' residence have all been closed, and the palace maids are not allowed to leave at night without permission.
What should I do? What should I do?
Her usually flexible thinking seemed to stagnate in an instant, and her head seemed to be tangled with a mess. Her whole body was shrouded by something called fear, a fear she had experienced a long time ago... when she lost her parents... it was a fear of losing someone important in her heart.
Just as she was in a daze, Usma pulled her into the room and whispered, "I heard everything just now, do you want to see the eldest prince?"
Na Luo nodded desperately, and her voice changed in anxiety, "I want to, of course I want to! But I can't get out now!"
"Don't worry, think about it carefully. There may be more than one way to get out." Usma smiled and comforted her.
More than one? Na Luo suddenly felt enlightened when she heard this. Yes, why didn't she think of it? Didn't she use the walnut tree by the wall to spy on the princess before? Now she can also use the walnut tree to climb out!
"Thank you! Usma! You are so cute! How could I be so stupid that I didn't think of it? You are the smartest!" She hugged him and praised him.
Usma was amused by her and laughed, "It's not that you are stupid, but that you are confused because you care about the other person. Because you care about the other person, you will be flustered and lose the ability to think normally."
After finally making it to the dead of night, Na Luo secretly implemented her plan. As soon as the patrolling guards passed by, she slipped out of the room, climbed up a walnut tree near the wall very skillfully, then climbed up the wall, and slid down from the walnut tree outside the wall. The whole process was quite smooth, without any unexpected situation. Although she has lived in the palace for several years, fortunately, her tree climbing skills have not diminished at all, and her skills are still so flexible.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she ran towards the palace of the eldest prince like an arrow from a bow!
The door of the palace of the eldest prince was closed at this time, but the two servants guarding the door knew Na Luo and knew the relationship between Na Luo and the eldest prince. They let her in despite Na Luo's pleading.
After Na Luo entered, she went straight to the bedroom of the eldest prince. Because she walked too fast, she fell down. When she got up from the ground, she saw Manya hurriedly coming over with a bowl of medicine. The other party was naturally surprised to see her suddenly appear here, and blurted out, "Na Luo, why are you here? How late is it now?"
"Don't worry about this for now. Manya, tell me quickly, how is the eldest prince? What disease is he suffering from? What happened? Is it serious? Is he feeling better now?" Na Luo pulled her and asked a long series of questions anxiously.
Manya laughed dumbly, "You asked me so many questions, how can I answer them? Don't worry, the eldest prince just has a little abdominal pain and diarrhea. The witch doctor said that drinking a few bowls of medicine made from aloe fruit will be fine."
"Is it really okay? Then why did I hear that His Majesty and the Queen came in person?" Hearing her say this, Na Luo was slightly relieved.
"No, there are several witch doctors, but fortunately, the eldest prince is fine." Manya's eyes swept over her feet, as if blaming, "You are so confused. How come you didn't even know that one of your shoes fell off."
Na Luo looked down and found that her right foot was bare. The shoe was probably lost when she was climbing a tree. She ran all the way here and didn't even feel it! She didn't care about these, and asked cautiously and tentatively, "Then Manya...can I go see the eldest prince?"
Seeing that the other party nodded, Na Luo hurriedly walked forward gratefully.
"Wait a moment." Manya suddenly stopped her again, "Na Luo, you should take this bowl of medicine in. I think His Highness will get better faster."
The moonlight leaked in from the window, gently outlining a faint outline in the room. The young man lying on the bed facing inward was dressed in green, with long hair tied up softly, sliding down his shoulders like water, and spread out on the bed. The elegance and beauty displayed by the slender and flexible body made people understand the Zen saying invisibly - the green bamboos are all Dharmakaya, and the lush yellow flowers are nothing but Prajna.
Watching the natural rise and fall of the body's breathing, all the previous worries and fears disappeared in an instant. A kind of inexplicable soft thing gradually surged up, and her mood gradually became calm...
"Master..." She called softly.
The other party seemed to be slightly stunned, turned around a little unbelievably, stared at her and didn't say a word for a while. After a few seconds, he seemed to react. A look of surprise flashed across his face, and then it was replaced by worry and displeasure. "Naro, why did you come here? If Princess Dana knows about this, you will be punished. Go back quickly!"
His voice sounded a little lower than usual, and his face was a little pale, which showed that he was indeed unwell.
"Master, you don't have to worry about me. It was the princess... She agreed to let me come to see you." Naro quickly lied, showing his usual smile without panic, "Otherwise, how could I come out at this time? Those guards would not let me go, right?"
Isda looked at her eyes half-doubtfully, "Are you serious?" Even though he was her master, he didn't think that this girl had climbed a tree and sneaked out. In addition, he was really happy to see her, so he didn't ask any more questions.
"Of course it's true. I was very anxious when I heard that you were sick. Fortunately, I am relieved to see that you are not so serious now." Naro expressed his concern without concealing his heart.
Ishtar felt warm at heart, and wanted to blame her for being too rash, but couldn't bear to speak.
"Master, drink this bowl of medicine quickly. Manya said that you will be fine as long as you drink a few bowls." Na Luo picked up the bowl of medicine and presented it to him attentively.
Ishtar frowned, "This medicine is so bitter, I won't eat it."
Na Luo laughed dumbly, and took the opportunity to tease, "Master, you can act like a spoiled child! But you have to eat the medicine no matter how bitter it is, otherwise let your disciple feed you." She meant to make a joke, but he nodded without hesitation, "Okay, since the disciple is so sensible, the master can only refuse it disrespectfully."
Na Luo stuck out her tongue. Since she had said it, she had to keep her word. She scooped a spoonful of the medicine and blew it, and naturally put it into her mouth first. This is also a habit she learned from trying dishes with Princess Dana.
"It's so bitter!" Na Luo's little face wrinkled into a ball.
Ishtar laughed and teased her, "You greedy girl, how come you are so greedy that you even want the medicine?"
Na Luo glared at him, scooped a full spoonful and stuffed it into his mouth, "Stop talking, open your mouth!" Although the disciple was angry, the master was happy to accept it and opened his mouth obediently to drink the medicine.
The medicine was indeed bitter. But the person who fed him the medicine... seemed to have a strange magic that made him ignore the bitterness of the medicine. Ishtar looked at the girl in front of him with a smile, and his mood was unprecedentedly peaceful. The light fragrance on the girl's hair drifted gently with the wind, making him absent-minded for a moment.
He always felt that she was the little girl who had been with him since childhood. But he seemed to have forgotten that one day the little girl would grow up. She would get married, have children, and have her own life. When he thought of this, he felt a kind of inexplicable and lingering irritability in his heart. Inadvertently, his eyes fell on her bare feet, and his expression changed again. He couldn't help asking, "What's going on? Where are your shoes?"
"This... Master, I just wanted to see you, and I ran too fast on the way here, so I didn't even know that I lost a shoe... I was so confused..." Na Luo looked a little embarrassed and explained embarrassedly. When she raised her head, she saw that the other party was staring at her intently. His brown eyes were warm and bright, as if in the depths of his eyes, there were thousands of bright stars constantly being generated, gently flashing dazzling light. The glittering light seemed to be able to penetrate the endless darkness, casting a dazzling light and shadow.
Na Luo felt that she could not look away from the light, and her ears suddenly echoed the words that Usma had said before, "If it is a love between a man and a woman, then the way he looks at you must be very special, that is, the kind that is gentle and sparkling!"
Thinking of this, a layer of light red appeared on her face, and she seemed to feel something in her confusion.
"Master... there is still a little left, you should drink it too." She raised her hand and handed over the spoon. Ishtar was only concerned with taking the medicine and did not pay attention to her hands. This time he saw it clearly - she saw that her fingers were red and swollen, and there were many small wounds on her skin. His heart suddenly ached, and he subconsciously grabbed her hand and turned it over. He saw that there were still a lot of blisters on the palm of her hand!
"Master, I just rubbed some reed leaves today, so... it's like this. I don't usually have to do this kind of work. Today I just helped Usma..." Na Luo secretly said that it was bad and could only make up excuses. Before, he was so focused on knowing the condition of the eldest prince that he forgot about it.
"Today you and Manya said you couldn't come to my place, in fact, it was because of this, right?" He guessed the reason at once.
Na Luo smiled a little stiffly, "Master, today is really a special situation... Don't think too pitiful of me..." She didn't dare to look into his eyes again, which contained too much worry and heartache, and even a trace of self-blame.
"Naro..." He stretched out his fingers and gently touched the tiny wounds and blisters, his eyes filled with unbearable heartache, "Be patient for a while, I will get you back soon. Naro, I will not let anyone bully you again, never."
The faint incense fragrance from his body floated like light smoke, as if it was free, but also like attachment. Naro's heart was inexplicably trance, as if something was quietly growing and sprouting in her heart like grass in the rain... It tickled her heart bit by bit, itchy, soft, and warm.
Outside the window, the cold moon in the sky sprinkled like mercury, reflecting this place as if it were a glass world.
An unreal glass world.